Whether you like your chili spicy, thick with sauce, vegetarian, or with tenderly cooked beans, a good chili is a cold weather staple that can warm up any day. With the air turning cool and crisp I searched Rye's chili on a quest for the best.

Rye Roadhouse

The Rye Roadhouse, with its menu of Cajun style comfort food, seemed like the natural place to start my search. The three-year-old restaurant has three kinds of chili, all of which are homemade. I tried the veggie chili ($8.95) with cheddar cheese and raw onions to see what the restaurant had to offer vegetarians. The melted cheddar cheese on top offered a nice addition to the smoky, but slightly bland flavor of the chili. There was no shortage of vegetables, and an aggressive use of peppers and onions made the chili thick and chunky. The beans were tender, but the amount was overpowering. The serving size was huge and could be split between several, but the large size caused the chili to cool quickly.

Poppy's Cafe

Poppy's Cafe on Purchase Street doesn't have the extensive list menu of chili, instead it offers a Hot Hot Chili, either in a cup ($3.75) or a bowl ($4.75). I ordered a cup to go, and I was immediately asked if I was okay with spicy. The spicy warning is well deserved; this is chili I would want to eat with a glass of water close by. Served with saltine crackers, the cup of chili was almost the same size as the Rye Roadhouse. This thick chili without beans was a little greasy, but offered a blend of flavors.

Rye Ridge Deli

Venturing outside of town, my next stop was the Rye Ridge Deli in Rye Brook. The deli offers chili with melted cheddar cheese served with corn tortillas ($8.99). This chili was saucier than the first two, and while the tomato sauce wasn't thick, it gave the dish a nice a balance. The beef was finely minced and was complimented by the thicker pieces of soft red and green peppers. Thinly sliced pieces of white cheddar cheese provided a nice balance to the chili flavor. The corn tortilla chips and saltine crackers were a good addition to dish, and the saltiness worked well to tame some of the spicy flavors of the chili.

Kelly's Sea Level

Staying on the outskirts of town, my final stop in my quest for rye's best chili was Kelly's Sea Level. I ordered a bowl of chili ($5.95). The blend of seasonings, peppers, and onions created a spicy full-bodied flavored chili that smelled of comfort food. The spiciness of the chili was mouthwatering. The large portion size was comparable to the other restaurants, but it didn't come with cheese or a side of tortilla chips or saltine crackers. The chili was abundant with thin pieces of beef, and combined with a thin tomato sauce it formed a thick smooth blend.

The verdict: It was a hard choice between the Rye Ridge Deli and Kelly's Sea Level chili, but Rye Ridge Chili offered the best blend and combination of meat, melted cheese, seasonings and sauce.

Who has Rye's best chili? Vote in our poll.